FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS AND TREATMENT OF DIURNAL BRUXISM RUSSELL LANG TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY–SAN MARCOS, CLINIC FOR AUTISM RESEARCH EVALUATION AND SUPPORTAND UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN’S MEADOWS CENTER FOR, THE PREVENTION OF EDUCATIONAL RISK AND KATY DAVENPORT ,COURTNEY BRITT ,JENNIFER NINCI,JENNIFER GARNER, AND MELISSA MOORE TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY–SAN MARCOS, CLINIC FOR AUTISM RESEARCH EVALUATION AND SUPPORT An analogue functional analysis identified attention as a function for a 5-year-old boy’ s bruxism (teeth grinding). Functional communication training resulted in a reduction of bruxism and an increase in alternative mands for attention. Results were maintained 3 weeks following the intervention. Key words: bruxism, autism, functional analysis, functional communication training, intervention Diurnal bruxism is a self-injurious behavior that involves clenching or grinding one’ s teeth while awake (Barnoy, Najdowski, Tarbox, Wilke, & Nollet, 2009). Chronic bruxism may cause damage to teeth, bone, and gums and is associated with oral-facial pain, headaches, and tooth loss (Lang et al., 2009). Although prevalence data are limited, bruxism appears to occur more often in individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities than in the general population (Cocchi & Lamma, 1999; DeMattei, Cuvo, & Maurizio, 2007; Dura, Torsell, Heinzerling, & Mulick, 1988). Lang et al. (2009) reviewed research on the assessment and treatment of bruxism in individ- uals with developmental disabilities, and found that positive punishment was the most common- ly used operant-based intervention (e.g., Blount, Drabman, Wilson, & Stewart, 1982; Gross & Isaac, 1982). Only Barnoy et al. (2009) included an assessment to determine the operant function for bruxism. In that study, results of an indirect assessment using the Questions about Behavioral Function scale (Matson & Vollmer, 1995) suggested that bruxism was maintained by automatic reinforcement. This current study extends previous research by reporting a case in which an analogue functional analysis identified attention as the reinforcer that maintained the bruxism of a 5-year-old boy with autism. Further, we evaluated a function-based intervention that did not involve punishment (i.e., functional communication training; FCT). METHOD Participant and Setting Bennett was a 5-year-old boy who had been diagnosed with autism. He scored a 30.5 on the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (Schopler, Reichler, Devellis, & Daly, 1980) which indicat- ed mild to moderate autistic symptoms. At the time of this evaluation, Bennett had been engaging in diurnal audible bruxism (grinding sound could be heard) for more than 2 years. His Address correspondence to Russell Lang, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Texas State University–San Marcos, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, Texas 78666 (e-mail:russlang@txstate.edu). doi: 10.1002/jaba.5 JOURNAL OF APPLIED BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS 2013, 46, 322–327 NUMBER 1(SPRING 2013) 322